


A thrice gifted mug

by CharlieDream



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, Mugs, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22245508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlieDream/pseuds/CharlieDream
Summary: Ella has tasked John and Sherlock with buying each other a gift. But what should Sherlock buy John when he has so much to say***
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	A thrice gifted mug

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I'm a writer. I missed writing fanfic so I decided once a week to free-write fanfic and post it. Because I'm freewriting you might find errors here, but feel free to point those out and I'll get them corrected. I hope you enjoy this story. I love writing about these two as I think their dynamic is truly unmatched by most.
> 
> Hope your 2020 is going well and feel free to comment on any errors or if you enjoyed the piece.
> 
> Wishing you love, peace, and happy dreams,  
> CharlieDream

He didn't really see the point of this, but this was the beginning of a relationship, of something different. He and John had spoken, had kissed, and had done a damn sight more than anything he could've dreamed ever happening.

John, as John himself put it, was in love with Sherlock. John didn't know when it happened exactly except that he's always felt it. He said it'd always been there sort of beneath the surface, at the edge of understanding. It didn't make sense to John because up to Sherlock,John had been really in love with women only. Sherlock having not really understood anything about all that didn't really question that statement other than when he said it in therapy, Ella pursed her lips. And Sherlock knew that to be one of her tells that meant she didn't quite believe what the other person was saying, but would address that at a later date.

So once the kissing and the confessing and the other things had been done so began "the work", as Ella put it.

"You're putting together yourselves in an entirely new way. And as this relationship will be unlike other relationships then I think we need to structure it unlike other relationships."

"What do you mean?" John had asked.

"I mean you've had relationships before, John, but if you don't mind my clearly stating it you've rarely fallen like this before. With Sherlock you appear to have fallen in love with him both immediately and over time."

John looked over at Sherlock and gave a half smile as he thought about her statement. "Yeah. That's about it. Yeah."

"And Sherlock," Ella turned her attention toward him. "You've been in love with only John but, if you also don't mind me stating it clearly, you've been hiding it since nearly the beginning or at least once you realised it. Correct?"

"Correct," Sherlock said with a nod. No used denying it, he thought, It was true.

"Really?" John turned to Sherlock and asked despite the fact that he was sure they had gone over this.

Sherlock returned the looked. "Yes."

John took a breath and sat back in his seat and took an even deeper breath and released it. Sherlock knew this meant he was both overwhelmed and incredibly pleased, both in and out of his element. This way is danger, his look said, but also this way is everything John loves.

So the work Ella said would be long-term as they grow together, but at the start of it needed to be something simple, quite simple.

"I want you to give one another a mug."

"A mug?"

"Yes. Now I know you likely both have mugs for your coffee or tea, but I want you to find one while shopping separately and present it to the other."

She ended the session shortly after and they both returned to the flat. It wasn't until after they'd done more of the kissing and the confessing did Sherlock realise the true gravity of the situation.

A mug at the start of their relationship?

He didn't know what Ella's thoughts were on this. What did the mug signify? Truly it had to mean quite a lot. So that meant mugs with funny sayings were out. He briefly considered just buying John a new RAMC mug, but felt that was saying that he didn't put much thought into it and, to be fair, it didn't require much thought to just give him the same thing he already owned. He consulted Molly next.

"Oh God. I'm not sure. I like the ones that have the different color inside. It's like a nice surprise."

Sherlock did concede those were a nice surprise. Not that he especially thought they were, but felt John would enjoy that. Thought it didn't especially help him decide which type of mug to get. He asked Mycroft who he knew would have an idea, because that man still read their session notes. Mycroft presented Sherlock with a queens tea cup which Sherlock knew that Mycroft knew he'd never accept because it's a preposterous thing that John would hate. Mycroft's subtle way of saying 'Do your own homework.'

Lestrade said Sherlock could have one from their pool of office cups which would "Ya know signify something from a shared activity. That's whats makes relationships work they say--shared activities."

Sherlock declined the used mug, but did take the advice of a shared activity. Perhaps a mug with a crime scene outline on it? Perhaps one with a magnifying glass? Two chairs? Or one chair signifying that Sherlock doesn't want there to ever only be one chair again? He thought of just a name with John's mug on it which wasn't a shared activity per se except for that time they did that thing where their common goal was entirely to make John have a release while Sherlock did not....until a great delay had passed. He enjoyed that activity very much. Perhaps one with a photo of their bed? No, no, no. None of them made sense. None of them seemed to fit the assignment. And then he realised there was no assignment parameters truly given. And that likely was the point.

A week later they both arrived with a bag in hand. Sherlock promised not to deduce what John had gotten and the reality is that he was so worried about his going over well that he really didn't even have a chance to.

Ella started by asking how they were doing and so on.

"It's good. Really good. Yeah good," John said then looked over at Sherlock and smiled.

"Good," Sherlock agreed and then cut his eyes to the bags sitting on the small table in front of them.

Ella didn't miss the hint. "I guess we should get on with it. John, would you like to go first?"

"Okay, um, yeah." John handed his gift bag cup to Sherlock.

Sherlock eagerly opened it and had no idea what he would find in the middle of the gift bag. Finally past the paper he saw the mug. It was black, plain with nothing on it. He looked inside and no surprise awaited him. He waited for the explanation.

"Yeah see. I got you this because I, um, it's...it's a mug I had bought you years ago ...when you were away. It had an image on it at first. The hat. I thought it'd annoy you or make you laugh. I had bought it for you because um....I still talked to you when you were gone." John took a breath and went on. "And sometimes I'd convince myself you were still there so right I see this mug then I'm at the checkout giving over my card when I realised I'd bought something you'd never see...'cos you weren't there to see it. But I took it home that night and I made a cuppa and talked to you. Told you about the mug. The you in my head was annoyed. It made me smile. And I decided that I'd allow myself that still. That I'd make a cup every night and drink it and talk to you and that was okay. Some days I'd make a few more, some days I'd make just one cup. It helped. The little hat wore off after a while. I didn't wash it properly. But I kept the mug even when Mary was tossing out old things. And every time I drank from it I thought about you and felt...okay. It was like we were sharing a drink together. And I wanted you to have it because I want to share all our drinks together from here on out."

When he finished Sherlock couldn't look him in the eye. He could spend a thousand lifetimes making it up to John and never truly earn his forgiveness.

Ella cleared her throat and took a breath. She didn't know John did this while grieving Sherlock. It was obvious. After a long moment she found her ability to speak.

"John, that was quite lovely. Sherlock, do you have anything to say to that?"

"Just...," Sherlock paused and looked up from the mug directly into John's eyes."I love you." The only thing he could say. The only thing he wanted to say. The only thing that was in his mind and soul was that he loved John Watson more than he ever thought possible. "I love you, John."

John said nothing, but the mist in his eyes said enough.

"That's lovely, Sherlock. I know you've said it before today, but the fact that you're so freely able to speak your feelings is still quite beautiful." Ella smiled. "And yours?"

Sherlock handed his over to John. He was nervous, so nervous. John reached into the bag and pulled out the mug then looked over at Sherlock and smiled.

"Sherlock, I can't believe--how? when? Sherlock," John laughed. "You'll never stop amazing me."

Sherlock smiled as Ella looked on in confusion. At first it appeared to be a very plain black mug but then John turned it around to reveal a tiny image of a hat--the hat. A very likely replica of the mug John just spoke about.

"I....may have watched every piece of footage available of you on CCTV for the past ten years. I thought perhaps it made you think of me and the date you bought it...well this is to say you'll never need a mug to remind you of me as I'll always be there. I thought you must've thrown the prior one out."

"Never," John said with an awed smile. "I'd never throw out anything that reminded me of you."

Sherlock thought of the John's space in his mind palace...larger than any other person in Sherlock's life.

"I feel the same," Sherlock said and they looked at each other with huge smiles on their faces until Ella interrupted.

"Well gentlemen. The point, of course, was not just to buy each other a gift, but to spend time thinking about the other and putting thought into it. Our actions speak as loud as our words quite often and that must be remembered and acted upon. Your next assignment will be given at our next session. For now let's continue our weekly check-in."

They continued the session and ended with both men taking their mugs and then hailing a taxi and heading home. They sat their mugs besides each other on the counter and kissed each other until they were interrupted by a delivery driver and another and another. Any mug John had looked at in the past ten years had been ordered as backups.

"A bit overboard," John said.

"Yes," Sherlock agreed. "But....lovable?" Sherlock asked.

John answered with a kiss then asked, "Tea?"


End file.
